Brent Runnels, PianoThe Gregory Kennith piano faculty chair

Brent Runnels has fashioned a broad and diverse musical career as a performer, arts administrator, educator and musical entrepreneur.

As a pianist Brent Runnels has won critical acclaim for his performances in the US, Europe, Australia and Russia as an orchestral and recital soloist, chamber musician, and jazz pianist. He won first prize in the New Orleans International Piano Competition and second prize in the Jacksonville Classical Piano Competition. Mr. Runnels has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as the Atlanta Symphony, Prague Radio Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Kosice State Philharmonic, Ural Academic Philharmonic, Slovak Sinfonietta of Zilina, Florida Orchestra, Florida Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Mansfield Symphony, Brevard Symphony and the Gwinnett Philharmonic. He has given recitals in London, Prague,New York, Chicago,Los Angeles,Sydney and Atlanta.

Chamber music has become a significant part of his performance career. He founded and performed with The Inman Piano Trio from 1998-2009. A CD with the late violinist Beth Newdome of the Herbert Howells violin sonatas has been released on Mark Records. He has performed extensively as a jazz pianist and has appeared with such jazz artists as Jon Faddis, Clark Terry, Gene Bertoncini, Lou Soloff, Laurie Holloway, Francine Reed, The New York Voices and Joe Gransden.

Brent Runnels maintains a strong commitment to arts education and support for the performing arts. He is Executive and Artistic Director of Jazz Orchestra Atlanta, Inc (www.jazzorchestraatlanta.org), a not-for-profit arts organization based in Atlanta that conducts summer jazz music camps and presents jazz performances. He has presented masterclasses for the European Piano Teacher’s Association in Prague, Brno and as guest artist at the Urals Summer International Academy of Arts in Novouralsk, Russia. Dr. Runnels is currently on the faculty at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA and musical director at Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs, GA. He has taught on the music faculties of Rollins College, Concordia College, the Manhattan School of Music and Georgia State University.

Brent Runnels trained with Constance Keene and John Browning as a scholarship student at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. There he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree as well as the school’s highest graduate honor, the Harold Bauer Award. Other pianists he has worked with are Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Jeanne-Marie Darré, Martino Tirimo, Richard Goode and George Driscoll. A native of Rockville, Maryland, he is a member of the international roster of Steinway Artists.

John Lawless, Percussion

John Lawless became the Director of Percussion Studies at Kennesaw State University in 2004. Principal Timpanist of the Atlanta Opera orchestra since 1979, John held the same position with the Chattanooga Symphony for 21 years. Since 1978, Mr. Lawless has performed, toured, and recorded with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra while maintaining a thriving freelance career as a studio and pit percussionist.

A founding member of the Atlanta Percussion Trio, Mr. Lawless performs hundreds of school concerts a year for thousands of children throughout the Southeastern United States. Along with Scott Douglas and Karen Hunt, the trio has been a performing group for 32 years, bringing educational programs to children of all ages.

As a soloist, Mr. Lawless played several concertos with the Chattanooga Symphony, including: The Olimpian for 8 timpani and orchestra as well as The Messenger for multiple percussion and orchestra, both written by James Oliverio. In 2009 Mr. Lawless performed Joseph Schwantner's Concerto for Percussion with the Cobb Symphony Orchestra.

A graduate of Georgia State University, Mr. Lawless' teachers include Tom Float, Jack Bell, Cloyd Duff, Paul Yancich, Bill Wilder, and Mark Yancich. Previous faculty appointments include those at Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, and West Georgia State University.